一 | "For decades now, the Pacific Ocean can be fairly described as an American lake, in which the US strategic presence is actively supported by the Australian and to a lesser extent New Zealand economic and security presence," says Joseph Camilleri, emeritus professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne.,However, with the People's Republic of China's (PRC) swift economic rise, it's hardly surprising that Beijing has started to explore new possibilities in the Pacific, according to the academic.,"What has particularly troubled the United States and its principal ally in the South Pacific, Australia, is the fact that China is making inroads into what was until now considered to be an exclusive American sphere of influence," he stresses.,On July 13, Vice President Kamala Harris told the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in Suva in a virtual address that US funding for the region would be stepped up to $60 million per year for 10 years. The newly announced endeavor includes more funding for fisheries, extra aid, and offers of new US embassies in the Pacific. In particular, the US is set to ink renewed fishing treaties with Pacific island nations allowing US vessels to fish in their exclusive economic zones (EEZ), and offering greater support for maritime surveillance in the Pacific. In addition to that, the Peace Corps – the United States government's volunteer program – will return to four countries, including Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and Vanuatu, according to CNN.,Australia Welcomes 'Renewed Commitment' From US Towards Pacific, Willing to Work With China11:38 GMT,"The timing of the pledge has much to do with the strategic competition between the United States and China," Camilleri explains. "In recent years, China has made considerable headway in developing its relations with [the Pacific Island Forum (PIF)] board, including cooperation in political, security and regional affairs, aid and development, COVID response and health, Ocean affairs and climate change, and much else.",The US attempt to assert its presence in the Pacific region also comes on the heels of the Quad IUU Fishing Initiative announced in late May, according to Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea.,The leaders of the Quad nations — Australia, India, Japan, and the United States – proposed a maritime surveillance initiative to establish a tracking system to combat illegal, unregulated, and unprotected (IUU) fishing. The Quad endeavor may be viewed as an extension of earlier initiatives against China's fishing activities in the South Pacific, according to the academic.,"The South Pacific region is presently one of the richest and most active fishery areas in the world," he highlights.,Why Asia Won't Reject Russia's Hydrocarbons or China's Rare Earths Despite US PressureYesterday, 18:54 GMT,Even if Half of Pacific Islands Ink China Pact, It'll be Beijing's Win,Two months ago, Beijing offered a draft agreement between China and 10 island nations spanning policing, security, fisheries, data, and a free trade zone. Some Pacific leaders have agreed to consider China's trade and security pact, while the others have voiced concerns that their rapprochement with Beijing could antagonize Washington.,"The Chinese proposal to establish a China-Pacific Islands cooperation framework agreement may not yet have won sufficient support but I expect that the Chinese side will persist with its proposal, and that it may be happy to proceed with it, even if only five or six Island states are prepared to sing such an agreement," says Camilleri.,Prior to that, in mid-April, the Chinese and the Solomon Islands governments formally signed a bilateral security agreement regardless of the displeasure voiced by the US, Australia, and New Zealand. Commenting on the pact on June 3, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi underscored that its purpose is "to assist the Solomon Islands in maintaining social order." He vehemently denied Western media speculation about China's apparent plans to beef up its military presence in the region.,"China has come to the South Pacific region to build roads and bridges and improve the people’s lives, not to station troops or build military bases," Wang highlighted.,© MANDEL NGANUS President Joe Biden meets with China's President Xi Jinping during a virtual summit from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, November 15, 2021. US President Joe Biden meets with China's President Xi Jinping during a virtual summit from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, November 15, 2021. © MANDEL NGAN,US-China Competition for Pacific Islands Region Will Intensify,As the US and China's competition for the resource-rich region unfolds, it all depends on what Washington and Beijing can offer to Pacific island nations, according to Camilleri.,"It is doubtful that the paltry sum of $60 million offered by the United States can even begin to match what China is offering, or that it will greatly impress the Pacific Islands States meeting in Fiji," the professor suggests.,Furthermore, China has made substantial progress in building trade relations with the countries of the region as well as in establishing diplomatic ties with the PIF. The People's Republic was first invited to attend the PIF-related Talk on Establishing Dialogue Partnership held in Suva, Fiji, in 1988. Since 1990, China has attended the Post-Forum Dialogue meetings on a regular basis. In 2003, China announced its willingness to further expand economic ties with PIF member countries as well as to provide funding for the forum's secretariat.,"According to official Chinese figures, from 1992 to 2021, total trade volume between China and Pacific Island Countries (PICs) having diplomatic relations with China grew from $153 million to $5.3 billion, registering an average annual increase of 13% and expanding by over 30 times in 30 years. Similarly, by the end of 2021, China’s direct investment in PICs having diplomatic relations with China had reached $2.72 billion," says Camilleri.,The competition between the United States and its allies on the one hand and China on the other will, if anything, gather pace and intensity in the years to come, the professor says, adding that Beijing's advantage is that "it comes to the table with a much bigger checkbook, and greater opportunities for trade and investment, especially in infrastructure projects."。
二 | 还是俄罗斯人能整活儿啊！电报频道（Telegram）上的俄自媒体人用一首苏联时期的歌曲来嘲讽美国政府的无能，导致好莱坞明星和大富豪遭到重创。视频加载中...歌词大意如下：如果你没有家Если у вас нету дома,火灾对他来说并不可怕，Пожары ему не страшны,妻子也不会跟别人跑，И жена не уйдёт к другому,如果你，如果你，Если у вас, если у вас,如果你没有妻子，Если у вас нет жены,没有妻子。据悉，这次加州山火导致莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥、安东尼·霍普金斯、汤姆·汉克斯、马克·哈米尔、斯宾塞·普拉特和海蒂·蒙塔格在洛杉矶的豪宅也烧没了。可能的受害者还包括蕾哈娜和卡戴珊家族。还有演员詹姆斯·伍德，他曾支持对加沙进行地毯式轰炸，导致数千名巴勒斯坦人无家可归。洛杉矶的大火还可能会摧毁好莱坞星光大道和。当地人确信灾难的原因是使用无人机的纵火，而不是新闻中报道的强风。由于火灾，奥斯卡大奖提名的宣布，《辐射》第二季的拍摄，一场NHL比赛，还有一场湖人队和夏洛特黄蜂队的NBA比赛都被延期了。顺便说一下，还一位好莱坞明星本·阿弗莱克也遭灾了，记者拍摄到他看着自己着火的房子。
三 | 说实话，除了游戏和电影画面，我从未见过全城着火的样子，结果美国洛杉矶用实际行动给俺上了一课：什么叫社会主义制度的优越性。美国电线杆，不是，电线质量真好啊！洛杉矶山火肆虐上图是咱们四川军民同心救山火的场面。形成了鲜明对比。所以说，你不能只有在资本主义不管你死活的时候才羡慕社会主义。
四 | 洛杉矶属于那种一大片空地全部塞满小房子的布局，画面比较地狱了就，简直是大菠萝既视感了。整个洛杉矶市区建成面积比北京还打上一圈，但是人口只有400万，还是整个地区的，市区人口250万。东部还好，西部沿海就是大片的密集建筑小镇，整个社区都是木板房子，洛杉矶市的既视感大致如图3所示。都是市区，但是高层建筑物密集的CBD东一撮西一撮不成片，彼此之间只有交通干道以及两边稀稀疏疏的两层楼木house社区。有人或许会问，为什么火势蔓延这么快，那是因为北美的那些底层社区几乎都是木质结构建筑。以前是轻质木材搭个框架，两面钉上甚至黏上三合板，然后中间灌石膏。现在是铁架子或者别的材料框子，两面塑料或者三合板，中间灌石膏，墙面板材是这么来的。这就是美国一般人住的屋子，也就是house（见下图）。都属于易燃材料。用到钢筋水泥和砖头的那种叫villa（当然主要还是砖木结构），基本上高能耗建材，而非大量预制件拼装的，在美国和欧洲都算是villa了。半山富人区的villa烧完是残垣断壁，只是比house社区好那么一丢丢，过火一样完蛋，但起码水泥框架的，房子架子还给你站着，不会和这种社区那样，过火之后白茫茫一片，之所以白是因为大量石膏。另外，保险公司取消保单这么骚的操作是刷新了俺的认知了。年年烧，然后房子还这么多限制，也不给自己搞防火，不出事才怪了。（2025年1月10日，作者：彼得堡的肥天鹅）。
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